1912 Master Design for the Yeomen of the Guard Chest Badge

Master Design for the Yeomen of the Guard Chest Badge 1912 King George V

The original master design and embroidery sample for the chest badge of the Yeomen of the Guard produced for the King George V. 

The design is mounted on its original workshop pattern card headed “H.M. Office of Works” and annotated “For Dress Coats – Yeoman Warders”. The card carries the date 1912, a design reference number, and the notation “For material and design only”, indicating that it served as the approved master from which production examples were made.

The badge incorporates the royal crown of George V above the Tudor rose, shamrock and thistle, flanked by the royal cypher “G.R.” (Georgius Rex), all executed in finely worked bullion, silk and coloured embroidery. The individual elements remain stitched to the pattern board, exactly as they would have been presented for inspection and approval before manufacture.

The reverse preserves the original securing threads, wax seals with royal coat of arms and workshop markings used during the approval process. Particularly notable is the surviving approval at the front bottom left suggesting that this design passed through the formal channels of the Office of Works before production commenced for the King’s new reign.

Created for George V, this is not merely a uniform badge but the original presentation model from which the insignia worn by the Sovereign’s Body Guard of the Yeomen of the Guard was derived.

35 x 46 cm

Free UK delivery

Price: £1,200